Symposium explores social insurance

Registrations are now open for the annual symposium of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

Co-sponsored by ASPA, Social Insurance for the 21st Century: Exploring pathways for a sustainable, equitable and effective welfare system is co-convened by Profs Allan Borowski and Bettina Cass and promises informed and lively discussion on national and international social insurance schemes.

An assessment of social insurance schemes is timely both in the international and Australian contexts.

Internationally, where countries are making efforts to roll back some social insurance schemes they are often they are often met with spirited resistance.

In Australia, both Medicare and the recently introduced National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) are widely supported.

Meanwhile, some voices can also be heard in support of other types of social insurance, such as long-term care and unemployment.

Debates about the future equity and sustainability of the health and welfare systems are necessarily incomplete without a serious discussion about the design, impacts and sustainability of social insurance schemes.

Past and contemporary experience and current priorities will be assessed, and advice from both national and international leading experts will provide Australia’s researchers and policy makers with valuable insights for ongoing reform of Australia’s welfare system.